Before there were film studios, fashion districts or freeway systems, there was land. Native land. And no matter how many condos or coffee shops try to bury that fact, the ground remembers.
As a Yaqui woman and cultural journalist, I travel not just to escape but to reconnect. Every place I visit, I ask myself, “Whose land is this? What stories were here before the brochures?” These five locations in California carry not just visual beauty but ancestral memory, sacred significance and in some cases, unfinished business.
1. Malibu and the Chumash Coast
Tribal Territory: Chumash
Malibu isn’t just for surfers and influencers. The land along this coast has been home to the Chumash people for over 10,000 years. The beaches, mountains and estuaries formed the foundation of a maritime culture long before luxury homes lined the cliffs. When you walk through Leo Carrillo or Point Dume, know that you’re on Indigenous ground. Quiet your phone. Listen to the waves. They’ve heard everything.
2. Ohlone Land – San Francisco’s Presidio
Tribal Territory: Ramaytush Ohlone
The Presidio is a former military outpost turned scenic park, but that transformation didn’t include honoring the land’s original stewards. The Ramaytush Ohlone lived here for centuries before colonization. Today, you’ll find interpretive signage that briefly nods to this past, but little else. Bring your own reverence. Acknowledge where you stand. Support Ohlone-led efforts like the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, which is doing the work the state refuses to do.
3. Maidu Museum and Historic Site – Roseville
Tribal Territory: Nisenan and Maidu
This site offers a rare blend of preservation and active storytelling. The Maidu Museum sits on land that contains actual petroglyphs, grinding stones and sacred boulders. These are not relics of a lost past, but evidence of an ongoing cultural presence. The staff works with Maidu educators and community members, making this one of the more respectful public history spaces in the state.
4. The Autry Museum – Los Angeles
Tribal Territory: Tongva
This one is complicated. The Autry has made moves toward better Native representation, including rotating exhibits and partnerships with Indigenous curators. But it also lives in a city that still doesn’t recognize its Native communities with formal land acknowledgment policies. I visit the Autry with equal parts admiration and critique. It’s not perfect. But it is in motion.
5. Yosemite National Park – Miwok and Paiute Homelands
Tribal Territory: Southern Sierra Miwok and Ahwahnechee
Tourists come for the waterfalls and granite cliffs, but few realize that the name Yosemite is a colonial mislabel. The real people of this place are the Ahwahnechee, who were displaced violently to make way for national park tourism. Today, their descendants continue to fight for visibility and stewardship. Visit Yosemite, but do it consciously. Learn the real names. Speak them. Support Native-led tours if you can find them.
Travel Isn’t Just Movement. It’s Memory.
When I travel through California, I don’t just pack a suitcase. I carry my ancestors with me. These places aren’t just scenic. They are living, contested, resilient pieces of Native history. Visiting them is a privilege. Telling the truth about them is a responsibility.
So whether you’re hiking, road tripping or just scrolling with curiosity, do it with intention. Ask whose ground you’re on. And if the state won’t say it, say it yourself.
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